LoGrasso Hall Health Center
Health and Wellness

Alcohol: What You Don't Know Can Harm You

Going off to college is a monumental step in the life of a young adult. It is a stage
of life marked by change and exploration. You move from your parents home into a dormitory
or student housing unit, meet new friends, and discover what it truly is to be out
on your own, making your own decisions, including the decision to drink alcohol. For
many students, drinking is seen as a rite of passage, as part of having fun, of lowering
social inhibitions.

Alcohol abuse is now a widespread problem on the nation's college campuses. The consequences
of excessive drinking by college students are more significant, more destructive and
more costly than many parents realize. Studies show that four out of five college
students drink alcohol. Two out of five report binge drinking (defined as five or
more drinks for men and four or more for women in one sitting). One in five students
report three or more binge episodes over a period of two weeks.

Statistics to make you think before you take another drink.....

Each year in the United States:

1,825 college students (aged 18-­‐24) die from alcohol-­‐related injuries;

696,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking;

97,000 students are victims of alcohol-­‐related sexual assault or date rape;

400,000 students had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students report having
been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex;

About 25% of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including
missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower
grades overall;

More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-­‐related health problem;

110,000 students are arrested for an alcohol-­‐related violation.

Finally, 95% of crimes committed on college campuses in the U.S. involve alcohol, including 90% of all rapes.

Alcohol Does the Body Bad.......

Brain: Before a person feels "drunk", alcohol has already stopped messages from going to
the brain. Even small amounts of alcohol affect judgment and reaction time. When you
can't think clearly, it's hard to make good decisions. Your brain may take as long
as 48 hours to return to normal after a big night of drinking. Long term, heavy drinking
can cause permanent damage to the brain. It can cause problems with memory, thinking
and concentration.

Coordination and Balance: Even small amounts of alcohol can affect coordination and balance. This makes it easier
to fall or get into an accident.

Lungs: Heavy drinking affects the immune system, making it easier to get lung infections
such as pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Liver: The liver cleans poisons, including alcohol from the body. The more alcohol a person
drinks, the harder the liver has to work. People who drink regularly for many years
can have serious liver damage and may even get liver cancer. If the liver is damaged
badly enough, it can stop working, causing the person to die.

Stomach : Alcohol irritates the stomach. A little can cause nausea. A lot can make you vomit.
Excessive drinking can cause ulcers in the stomach which may eventually bleed.

Pancreas: The pancreas helps regulate the body's blood sugar levels. Long term heavy drinking
can lead to inflammation of the pancreas causing severe abdominal pain, malfunction,
and eventually death.

Do you really know how much you had to drink???

Most people don't know what counts as a standard drink, and therefore, don't realize
how many standard drinks are in the containers in which these drinks are sold.

What does the BAL (Blood alcohol Level) level really mean?

You might know that a .10% BAL puts you over the legal limit for driving, but do you
know how alcohol effects your body in the .05-06% range? At what percent do blackouts
start to occur? And if you are a 140-lb. woman who has 5 drinks in two hours, how
do you know exactly what you BAL is, anyway? For answers to all of these questions and more, take a look at this Blood Alcohol Level Table. These questions are important ones when deciding to drink.

Here are some hints for maintaining a moderate blood alcohol concentration (this information
has been adapted from How Alcohol Effects Us):

Educate yourself. The contents of a bottle or can of beer, glass of wine, or liquor drink
(mixed drink or straight liquor) each contain the same amounts of pure alcohol. When
it comes to alcohol, a drink is a drink is a drink and are they all the same to a
breathalyzer.

Know your limit. If you are not sure, experiment at home with your spouse or some other
responsible individual. Explain what you are attempting to learn.

Eat food while you drink. Food, especially high protein food such as meat and cheese will
help slow the absorption of alcohol into your body.

Sip your drink. If you gulp a drink, you will tend to drink more.

Accept a drink only when you really want one. If someone tries to force a drink on you, ask
for a non-alcohol beverage instead.

Skip a drink now and then. Having a non-alcoholic drink between alcoholic ones will help
keep your blood alcohol content level down, as does spacing out your alcoholic drinks

Limit consumption of alcohol beverages to one drink per hour, a general guideline which
works well for most.

Keep active; don't just sit around and drink. If you stay active you tend to drink less
and to be more aware of any effects alcohol may be having on you.

Beware of unfamiliar drinks. Some drinks, such as zombies and other fruit drinks, can be
deceiving as the alcohol content is not detectable. Therefore, it is difficult to
space them properly.

Use alcohol carefully in connection with pharmaceuticals. Ask your physician or pharmacist
about any precautions or prohibitions and follow any advice received.

Avoid "chugging" contests or other drinking games.

Past the point of possible no return......

Excessive drinking can be hazardous to everyone's health!!! Some people laugh at the
behavior of others who are drunk. Some think that it's even funnier when they pass
out. As you are laughing about the drunk who has passed out in the corner, there a
couple of things that you should know.

It is common for someone who has indulged in an excessive amount of alcohol to vomit
since the alcohol is an irritant. Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary
actions such as breathing and the ability to gag (which prevent choking). Typically,
one of the biggest concerns when someone vomits, and is unable to control their gag
reflex to prevent choking, is aspiration of the vomit. When vomit is aspirated, the
lungs are flooded with foul material which blocks the ability for oxygen to get in
and out. If not treated, this could eventually lead to death .

Common myths about sobering up include drinking black coffee, taking a cold bath or
sleeping it off or walking it off. These are just myths. The only thing that reduces
the affects of alcohol in your system is TIME. And time is something that you do not have enough of when you are suffering from
alcohol poisoning.

Critical Signs for Alcohol Poisoning

-Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be roused.

-Vomiting

-Seizures

-Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute).

-Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths).

-Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness.

Don't be afraid to seek medical help for a friend who has been drinking.